


5 Times Jack and Renee went shopping

by Existinghook



Category: 24 (TV)
Genre: 5 Things, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 12:36:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16095815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Existinghook/pseuds/Existinghook
Summary: They go shopping sometimes.





	5 Times Jack and Renee went shopping

**Author's Note:**

> x-posted from my LJ. Originally written in 2011.

*******************************

1) One thing he learns.  She loves those marshmallow pumpkin things they sell at Walmart in October.  They’re disgusting and he tells her that they never make them “fresh;” that they probably just recycle them year after year because she’s the only one that buys them.

  
She laughs and pops one in her mouth.  When he kisses her later, she tastes like a carnival.  All sugary sweetness and toothaches.  
  
The second week of November she gets a cold that could rival Consumption.  She doesn’t get out of bed for three days except to pee and he doesn’t know what to do to make her feel better.  He remembers when Kim was little and would get sick.  Teri always dealt with the worst of it; he would come home at night with a toy from the Thrifty down the street and be the hero.  He doesn’t know what to do when the fever and frustration is directed at him.  
  
But when she’s sleeping after the NyQuil kicks in, he gets in the car and goes to every dollar store he finds.  It takes six stops, but he finds the marshmallow pumpkins in the bottom of the clearance bin at Dollar Tree.  She’s still sleeping when he gets home, but he opens the bag and places it next to her mug of tea that’s gone cold and the mountain of tissues.  Hopes that’ll get a smile out of her.

  
 *******************************

  
2) They’re visiting Kim in California for a few weeks when he finds a few days to drive up the coast with her.  He didn’t really have a destination in mind; just wanted to get out of the thick of the city for a few hours.  They end up stopping in Salvang.  A little Dutch town off the 101 North, seemingly untouched by time.  
  
She walks through every single store along Main Street.  She doesn’t buy anything until they find a store that only sells Christmas ornaments.   
It looks like Christmas exploded everywhere, right down to the artificial pine smell thats pumping through the air system.  Decorated trees everywhere.  Some of them are themed, some are just branches used to layer hanging sparkles.  
  
She finds a small gingerbread house when they first walk in.  Doesn’t look like she’s in love with it.  Doesn’t even show it to him, really.  But she hangs on to it all the while they’re in the store.  Jack thinks maybe she’s going to accidentally walk out with it, unknowingly, the way it just hangs off her wrist.   
  
But she turns to him as they’re heading back to the door, holds it up for him and says, “What do you think?  For our tree?”

She’s so nonchalant he can’t help but smile.  Like it’s obvious they’re going to get a tree and celebrate and be normal  _together_.  It’s March.  It would be their first Christmas.  Their first Christmas decoration.  
  
“Sure.”  And hands her a twenty dollar bill.

 

******************************* 

  
3) His apartment gets invaded on Thanksgiving.  Renee is there, of course, but that’s all he was planning on.  They decided they didn’t want to do something big for Thanksgiving.  Maybe some turkey sandwiches from the corner deli.  At most. Pajamas and crappy TV all day.  
  
But she’s all smiles the Wednesday before.  Like she can’t stop looking at him and  _grinning_.  He knows something is up when they sit down to watch TV at night and her leg won’t stop bouncing.  
  
“Ok.  What’s going on?”  He puts his hand on her leg and squeezes just so that he can feel her muscles bunch under his fingers.  
  
“What?”  Her voice is very high.  “Nothing.”  And there’s the smile again.  All her top teeth showing and her freckles dancing across her cheeks.  
  
He’s about to press her when the doorbell rings.  Its cursory though, because the door opens and Kim is rushing in with Teri in tow.   _Hi, Dad.  Teri really has to pee._   And they’re disappearing down the hallway.  
  
Stephen walks in behind them.  Two duffel bags, the diaper bag, and a stroller.  “Hey, Jack.  Hope you don’t mind the intrusion.  Renee said you guys needed someone who could cook a turkey.  Kim volunteered.”  
  
Jack eyes Renee; if it was possible, her smile is wider and maybe a little uncertain.  “I know we said we'd do small.  And Kim asked what we were doing and I couldn't _lie_.”  
  
His laugh is a little watery, but he wraps his arm around her shoulders.  Holds her close.  “You’re going to the store in the morning.”  
  
She laughs and hugs him tighter.  Kisses him like she forgot they now have guests.

 

******************************** 

  
4) He hates malls.  The sheer amount of people, the crowding, and the memory of choking on poisonous gas always nags at the back of his mind.  Makes him itchy.  
  
But when she asks him to run some errands with her – the grocery store, Target, the mall – he can’t really say no.   
  
( _C’mon, Jack, I’ll give you a back rub when we get back._   Her finger trails down his bare chest to the waistband of his boxers.  She ambushes him when he’s getting coffee; all sleep warmed and tussled hair.  She knows his weakness.)  
  
He’s carrying three bags from Macy’s in his left hand.  His other hand interlaced with hers.  Leading him from store to store.  When she leads him into the next store he’s not really paying attention, but the overwhelming scent of of various perfumes mixing to make one uncoordinated scent kicks his eyes into focus.  Pink, red, black, white.  Lace.  
  
Victoria’s Secret.  Sweet  _Jesus_.  This woman.  
  
When he looks at her, she’s laughing with her eyes.  Pulls him to a rack of under _things_  that are smaller then the how-to-wash tag.  He decides, when she grabs a black set off the hangar, glancing back at him as she walks into a dressing room, they can skip the grocery store.  

 

*********************************

 

5) Tampax. Pearl. Regular. Tampax. Pearl. Regular. Tampaxpearlregular. Tampaxpearlregulartampaxpearlregular.  
  
It’s his mantra. He walks with a purpose down the isles of Target with her words running through his head. Tampax. Pearl. Regular.  
  
Apparently, its  _that_  time. He remembers overhearing Kim and Teri saying something about Aunt Flow years ago. He’d had to look it up on the Internet to find out what they were talking about.  
  
Renee’s in meetings all day and all he has is paperwork waiting for him back at his desk. So when she’d pulled him into a deserted hallway to ask him a favor, he didn’t really have a reason to say no. He’d had no idea what he was getting himself into.  
  
_“Jack, I need you to go to the-“ she breaks off. Runs a hand through her hair. “God, this is so embarrassing.”  
  
“Renee. What it is?” he runs a hand reassuringly up her arm to her shoulder.  
  
“I would ask Janis, but she’s in the meetings too. And Chloe is out sick. And, you’re really the only other person…” she trails off. Not even really talking to him, just thinking out loud.   
  
“Renee. Just stop. What is it you need?” But he’s starting to realize. Those were both women she just named. He was starting to get a panicky feeling in the pit of his stomach.  
  
“I need you to go get me tampons.” She says it all in a rush, like ripping off a band-aid. Deep breath and go._  
  
He’d said yes, because really. That was the fastest way to end  _that_  conversation. So now he’s walking through Target like a man on a mission.  
  
Tampax. Pearl. Regular.  
  
He finally reaches the isle ( _Feminine Products_ ) and he thanks God that Renee gave him a make, model, and type. It was like the rainbow exploded on blank boxes. He scanned the labels, wanting to make sure he did this right. He’d have to shoot himself if she told him he needed to come back and do this again.   
  
When he finds the right blue box, reads the label and sees  _15 count_. He empties the shelf.


End file.
